Link to home
Start Free TrialLog in
Avatar of WORKS2011
WORKS2011Flag for United States of America

asked on

iPhone download folder location.

Where does the iPhone save PDF documents it receives in emails? When I click on the email and choose to view the document it asks if I want to download it. I choose yes and the document is then viewable. Where is this document saved on the iPhone?
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Avatar of Nathan Hawkins
Nathan Hawkins
Flag of United States of America image

Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
Avatar of WORKS2011

ASKER

This doesn't help me locate or determine where the PDF file I'm looking for is located. I've removed all the extra PDFs from other apps but I can't find the PDF that I downloaded from the Email app. The email app says it will delete content if I remove the app. However prior to removing how come I can't locate the file? I'd like to know how to locate this file.
To be clear, when you open an attachment on an iOS device there is not any popup that asks where to save a file. You open a file and in the bottom left hand corner is an icon that is for where to store the file you are opening. If you tap that icon you are faced with several choices of where to save the file. Once you save the file to your phone there is no way to search your phone for that file.

iOS devices don't have a directory structure you can access externally (or even itnernally). You have access to the apps on that device, nothing more. The only way you can "search" for that file is to manually go through all of the options you have on that iOS device and look for that file.
Avatar of Jackie Man
What is your email account?

Are you using Office 365 Exchange Online?

If yes, switch to Outlook for iOS app and you will have a better UI to access the downloaded attachment.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-outlook/id951937596
Nathan, some clarification:
To be clear, when you open an attachment on an iOS device there is not any popup that asks where to save a file.
This is not true. When you select a PDF for the first time on an iOS device it won't open by default rather the option to "download" appears. After selecting download it then opens. This only needs to be done once and users are not prompted after. There isn't an option to save like on an Android device.

You open a file and in the bottom left hand corner is an icon that is for where to store the file you are opening. If you tap that icon you are faced with several choices of where to save the file.
Not true, there is only one option to download. Doesn't specify where this is and after selecting the first time it does not prompt again. Does it delete the file after the download. If so why doesn't it ask to download the second time the file is accessed via email. This location is what I'm trying to find out and where the file is saved when a file is opened on an iPhone.

Once you save the file to your phone there is no way to search your phone for that file.
Have you ran any of the deep scan file recovery solutions or are you speculating?

The only way you can "search" for that file is to manually go through all of the options you have on that iOS device and look for that file.
I did find an app called "File" that had PDF's in it so I deleted them all. What's interesting is I then sent a test email with a PDF file named test.pdf. In order to open on the phone I selected download and it does not appear in the File app. Which make me wonder where this file is. I have not been able to locate it.

Appreciate all the feedback.
SOLUTION
Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
@Nathan, I found PDF files in the "Files" app and deleted them. This is the only real content I was able to locate on the phone.

@Jackie, I've used several tools to get data from iPhones for years and it didn't work on the newest iPhone. I then, with your info looked into the security and iPhone definitely tightened it up.

Thanks for the help.